500 Som

The 500 Som was introduced as Kyrgyzstan worked to consolidate a currency that had only existed since 1993 — the Som replaced the Soviet ruble after the Kyrgyz Republic opted out of the ruble zone, one of the last Central Asian states to do so. Giesecke & Devrient in Munich has handled much of the series, providing consistent technical production for a central bank still establishing its institutional footing in the post-Soviet period.

The P#23A designation distinguishes this 2005 issue from earlier printings of the same denomination, with differences typically subtle enough to require close comparison of serial number prefixes and signature combinations.